How do we survive Bush's march to self-destruction?

[kurth]

How do we survive Bush's march to self-destruction?
By KATHLEEN PARKER

THE Greeks and Sigmund Freud had a name for what may ail President George W. Bush: Thanatos. The death wish. ... The final throes of Bush's journey toward self-destruction may have found expression with the apparent sale of operational rights to six of our nation's largest ports to a company owned by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Approved by the Bush administration against all reason, the $6.8 billion sale includes the ports of New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia.

Despite bipartisan condemnation, the Bush administration has defended the sale to Dubai Ports World as not only safe, but prudent. The UAE, which incidentally served as a financial and operational base for the Sept. 11 hijackers, is an important ally in the fight against terror, we're told. Of course they are. And Colombia is an important ally in the war against drugs. And Mexico is an important ally in the fight against illegal immigration. Perhaps, given that much of our illegal drug supply and immigrant population come from Colombia and Mexico, respectively, we should reconsider our strategy.

Meanwhile, is this our new bombs-to-butter ploy in the Middle East? Instead of blocking the sale, which might have suggested American distrust of Arabs and/or Muslim nations, we give them the keys to our houses. Clever. In the parallel universe we affectionately call Planet Earth, insanity seems the better word.

< snip >

Granting a fantastically elastic benefit of the doubt, perhaps the president was merely seeking a novel way to bridge our divided nation. For the first time in a long while, Democrats and Republicans — from Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton to Republican New York Gov. George Pataki — are united, this time in opposition to the sale of our ports to a foreign entity. In the more likely event that Thanatos truly is at the helm of our ship of state at this titanic moment, we can't afford to let Bush's death instinct subsume the national imperative to survive. Survival now depends on fitter minds.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/3676127.html

[Trevelyan]

1. Impeachment is the answer to all our Bush created ills

PATHWAYS TO IMPEACHMENT
Address:http://www.opednews.com/articles/opedne_carol_wo_060219_pathways_to_impeachm.htm Authors Website:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/activistsforimpeachment/Authors Bio:

Carol S. Wolman, MD is a psychiatrist in Northern California. A lifelong peace activist, she has written extensively onthe psychology of our times. She is actively working to impeach Bush and Cheney, and invites you to print out a letter to Bush from Rep. John Conyers, informing Bush that censure and impeachment are underway. You can collect signatures and fax them to your representative and to Conyers. http://deependnews.com/conyerscensure.htm

She also suggests you join or form a local group at http://impeachbush.meetup.com/

[ninjaterrorist]

2. we just wait it out , evidence enough i'd say

Report probes US custody deaths
Almost 100 prisoners have died in US custody in Iraq and Afghanistan since August 2002, according to US group Human Rights First. The details were first aired on BBC television's Newsnight programme. Of the 98 deaths, at least 34 were suspected or confirmed homicides, the programme said. The Pentagon told Newsnight it had not seen the report but took allegations of maltreatment "very seriously" and would prosecute if necessary. The report, which is to be published on Wednesday, draws on information from Pentagon and other official US sources.

Torture

Human Rights First representative Deborah Pearlstein told Newsnight she was "extremely comfortable" that the information was reliable. The report defines the 34 cases classified as homicides as "caused by intentional or reckless behaviour". It says another 11 cases have been deemed suspicious and that between eight and 12 prisoners were tortured to death.
But despite this, charges are rare and sentences are light, the report says. Speaking on the programme, the US ambassador to Iraq said the "overwhelming number" of troops behaved according to the law. But Zalmay Khalilzad said abuses did exist. "They are human beings, they violate the law, they make mistakes and they have to be held accountable and the good thing about our system is that we do hold people accountable," he said.

Investigation call

UK MP Bob Marshall-Andrews told the Press Association that the report confirmed "in statistical terms the appalling evidence already available in footage". "If it is indeed systemic, then the responsibility for it must go right to the top, and that would apply to both British and American governments," he said. A spokesman for Amnesty International UK called for a probe into the deaths in custody. "Deaths in custody during the war on terror are a real matter of concern to us and we want to see the US and its allies allowing a full independent and impartial investigation into these deaths, as well as mounting incidents of alleged torture and other mistreatment," he said. He said Amnesty had raised the issue of "overly lenient sentences" for those found guilty of mistreating prisoners.

Last week, an Australian TV channel broadcast previously unpublished images showing apparent US abuse of prisoners in Iraq's Abu Ghraib jail in 2003.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/4738008.stm

Published: 2006/02/21 23:26:08 GMT

© BBC MMVI

[CJCRANE]

3. Very good article. nt